Kelbali Khan Nakhchivanski facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kelbali Khan Nakhchivanski
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| Born | 1824 Nakhchivan Khanate |
| Died | April 1883 (aged 59) Nakhchivan City, Erivan Governorate |
| Allegiance |  Russian Empire |
| Service/ |
Cavalry |
| Years of service | 1848-1880 |
| Rank |  |
| Commands held | "Kengerly Cavalry" "Erivan Bey Regiment" " Cavalry Irregular Regiment" 2nd Consolidated Cavalry Division 2nd Brigade of the 1st Caucasian Cavalry Division |
| Battles/wars | |
| Awards |      |
Kelbali Khan Ehsan Khan oghlu Nakhchivanski (born 1824, died April 1883) was a brave Azerbaijani military leader. He became a Cavalry General in the Imperial Russian Army. His father, Ehsan Khan Nakhichevansky, was the last ruler of the Nakhichevan Khanate. Kelbali Khan was also the father of Huseyn Khan Nakhchivanski and the brother of Ismail Khan Nakhchivanski, both of whom also became generals.
Contents
Starting a Military Career
When Kelbali Khan was thirteen, Emperor Nicholas I ordered him to join a special school in St. Petersburg. This school was called the Corps of His Imperial Majesty's Pages. However, Kelbali Khan became very sick and had to return home to Nakhchivan.
After getting better, he joined the Kengerlinsky Equestrian Militia, which was a cavalry unit. By 1848, he was leading this militia. He took part in a military mission in Dagestan. In 1849, he earned his first officer rank.
A special order from the Minister of War on March 31, 1849, said:
For being brave in fights against the Highlanders, Kelbali-Khan, the leader of the Kengerlinsky Equestrian Militia from Nakhchivan, is promoted to Ensign.
In 1851, he started working for the Erivan military governor. He was first a junior official, then a senior one. By January 1853, he was promoted to second lieutenant. Later that year, the Kengerlinsky Equestrian Militia was reorganized, and Kelbali Khan was again made its leader.
Fighting in the Crimean War
During the Crimean War (1853–1856), Kelbali Khan fought with the Russian forces. His unit was part of the Caucasian Corps. They fought in the Caucasian and Asia Minor areas.
In May 1854, Kelbali Khan became the head of the Erivan Bek squad. This squad joined the Erivan detachment of the Russian army. On July 17, 1854, his detachment, led by Lieutenant General Baron K. K. Wrangel, won an important battle. They defeated a much larger Turkish army at Chingil Heights and took control of Bayazet.
For his bravery against the Turks, Kelbali Khan was promoted to lieutenant in December. The next year, on April 15, he received a special award. It was the Order of the Holy Great Martyr and Victorious George of the IV degree. This was for a daring horse attack he led on July 17, 1854.
The award description said:
This officer, a second lieutenant and head of the Erivan Bek squad, bravely led his unit. Despite heavy enemy fire, he charged onto their battery, fought several enemy artillerymen himself, and captured a cannon.
Between the Wars
In 1856, Lieutenant Kelbali Khan went to Moscow. He represented the Erivan province at the coronation of Emperor Alexander II. Later that year, he was transferred to the Life Guards Hussar Regiment. He also continued his special assignments for the Erivan military governor.
In 1857, the Shah of Persia gave him the Order of the Lion and the Sun of the 2nd degree. He was promoted to Stabsrittmeister in 1859 for his good service. That same year, he was assigned to the Caucasian army. In 1860, he became a Rittmeister.
From 1862 to 1867, he worked as an inspector for the local guard in the Erivan province. In April 1864, Kelbali Khan was promoted to Colonel. He was again assigned to the Caucasian army in June.
In March 1871, he received the Order of Saint Stanislaus of the 2nd degree. He also received an imperial crown for this award. On September 14, 1874, Kelbali Khan was promoted to Major General. This was for his excellent service. In September 1875, he received the Order of St. Vladimir of the 4th degree. This was for serving as an officer for 25 years.
The Russian-Turkish War
When the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 began, Major General Kelbali Khan Nakhchivanski was given a new command. He led the Irregular Equestrian Brigade. This brigade was made up of cavalry regiments from Erivan and Kurtinsky. Their job was to protect the border of the Erivan province from enemy attacks.
During the defense of Bayazet in June 1877, Kelbali Khan was very important. He was the only one who could communicate between the trapped soldiers and the Russian army leaders. On June 5, his brother, Colonel Ismail Khan Nakhchivanski, sent 400 cavalrymen to help the Bayazet soldiers.
On June 10, 1877, Kelbali Khan sent a message to the Erivan military governor:
I just got a secret message from the Bayazet city commander. He sent it on June 8 at 9 PM. It says: "All our troops have been surrounded in the Bayazet fortress since June 6, 10 AM. The Turks are attacking us. The situation is very bad, especially because we have no water. We have lost many soldiers. Patsevich is wounded, Kovalevsky is dead. The enemy has taken all our cavalry horses. We are not getting help from the detachment. Please help us as soon as possible, or everything will be lost. We have very few bullets left, but we are still fighting off their attacks..." I think it's too risky to try to rescue them with my small group of 4 companies and 150 Cossacks, especially without enough weapons. First, we would have to attack the city, which the enemy controls. We are still waiting for troops from Alexandropol and the Erivan detachment.
Without waiting for more help, Kelbali Khan decided to move towards Bayazet. On June 14, 1877, he reported:
I was waiting for Major General Loris-Melikov's group to arrive so we could rescue the Bayazet soldiers together. On June 12, at 6 AM, I left one hundred cavalrymen at Chingil Heights. With my own group, which had 657 men from different regiments, 71 foot soldiers, and 170 Cossacks, I headed towards the 3rd Bayazet Heights. At 3 PM, about 3 versts (around 2 miles) from Bayazet, the enemy saw us. The Turks came to meet us and started firing. The fight lasted until 8 PM. Since I couldn't go further or hold my position, I moved back five versts to the ruined village of Karadzha. There, near the Tashly-chai river, I set up camp. On June 13, at 7 AM, I saw that the enemy was coming with large groups of soldiers and cavalry from both Bayazet and Teperiz. Seeing how many more soldiers they had and not having a good place to defend, I decided to move back to a better spot. But the enemy chased us fiercely and tried to get around our sides... We fought them off until 2 PM, retreating under heavy fire. We crossed Karabulakh village and, 2 versts away, took a strong position. From there, thanks to our leaders, the steady fighting of our infantry, and the quick moves of our Cossacks, we stopped all the enemy's attacks. They saw they couldn't beat us and started to retreat from 5 PM. I stayed in that position until 8 PM, then moved back to Chingil Heights. After letting the troops rest and leaving a small guard, I arrived at Orgovsky post at 12 AM. According to what I was told, the enemy lost 112 killed and 40 wounded. We lost 13 soldiers, 3 Cossacks, and 2 militiamen killed, and 3 soldiers missing. We also lost 7 horses.
Finally, on June 22, Kelbali Khan received more soldiers. But he still couldn't move into Bayazet. He sent a message on June 23, 1877:
Yesterday, two companies, an artillery battalion, and three hundred Cossacks arrived at Chingil Heights. At 9 PM, I received a letter from Colonel Morozov that said: "The prince of Qajar came from the detachment. He says that Ter-Gukasov is spending the night in our Caravanserai in a very bad situation. He is going to Igdyr. You cannot move to Bayazet. You should return to help Tergukasov." So, I arrived in Igdyr, reported to Tergukasov, and am now waiting for instructions. General Kelbali Khan Nakhichevanski.
After the blockade of Bayazet was lifted, Kelbali Khan's unit continued to protect the Erivan province. General Tergukasov sent a telegram on July 9:
Because things have changed and we have new information about the enemy, we couldn't move my detachment to Tauz-Kul and Abaz-gol. Military reasons make us keep most of our forces at the Chingil pass and nearby areas... For the defense of the western part of the Erivan province, I have put General Kelbali-khan in charge. I have given him the Talyn and Kulpinsky battalions, six hundred Cossacks, and the militia...
On July 31, 1877, General Tergukasov gave an order to Major General Prince A. Shcherbatov:
I am sending you a copy of the report from Major General Kelbali Khan Nakhchivanski, who commands the troops from Caravanserai to Kulpa. I ask you to move your group towards Kulpa to the village of Pirli (Pirali) to help Major General Kelbali Khan's detachment... Even though Major General Kelbali Khan is lower in rank than you, he knows all the details of the situation and the area very well. So, when you join him, you must follow his instructions...
In October 1877, Kelbali Khan's unit helped defeat Turkish troops. These troops, led by Mukhtar Pasha, were trying to block the Russian army's path to Erzurum. This happened at the Deve Boynu pass. On December 11, 1877, Major General Kelbali Khan received the Order of St. Vladimir of the 3rd degree with swords. On June 2, 1878, he received the Order of St. Stanislav of the 1st degree with swords. This was for his great courage and bravery during the fights with the Turks in June 1877.
On July 13, 1878, he was made the commander of the 2nd Consolidated Cavalry Division. On December 8, 1878, Emperor Alexander II gave him a special award. It was a golden saber with diamonds that said "For Bravery." This was for his courage at Deve Boynu on October 23, 1877. On January 24, 1879, he received the Order of the St. Anna of the 1st degree with swords. This was for his bravery in different battles against the Turks in 1877.
Later Years
From July 1878 to March 1880, Kelbali Khan led the 2nd Brigade of the 1st Caucasian Cavalry Division. However, his health got worse, and he could no longer serve actively. On March 16, 1880, he stepped down from his command. He was then placed under the command of the Commander-in-Chief of the Caucasian Army, Grand Duke Mikhail Nikolaevich.
Kelbali Khan Ehsan Khan oghlu Nakhchivanski passed away in April 1883. He was 59 years old and held the rank of major general.
Military Ranks
- Ensign (March 31, 1849)
- Second lieutenant (January 30, 1853)
- Lieutenant (1854)
- Headquarters Captain (April 12, 1859)
- Captain (April 3, 1860)
- Colonel (April 19, 1864)
- Major General (September 14, 1874)
Awards and Honors
- Order of the St. George of the 4th degrees (April 15, 1855)
- Order of the St. Stanislaus of the 2nd degree with the imperial crown (1871)
- Order of the St. Vladimir of the 4th degrees with a bow (September 22, 1875) - for 25 years of officer service
- Order of the St. Vladimir of the 3rd degree with swords (December 11, 1877)
- Order of the St. Stanislaus of the 1st degree with swords (June 2, 1878)
- Gold saber "For Bravery" with diamonds (December 8, 1878)
- Order of the St. Anne of the 1st degree with swords (January 24, 1879)
- Order of the Lion and the Sun of the 2nd degree (1857) - given by the Shah of Persia
Family Life
Kelbali Khan was married to Khurshid Khanum. She was the daughter of Major Ahmed Khan Erivanski. They had eight children:
- Zeinab-Begum (born 1851)
- Badir-Nisa-Begum (born around 1853)
- Ehsan Khan (1855-1894)
- Jafar-Kuli Khan (1859-1929)
- Shah Jahan Begum (born 1860)
- Rahim Khan (born 1860)
- Huseyn Khan (1863-1919)
- Zarin-Taj Khanum (born 1866) - she married Major General Maksud Alikhanov-Avarsky.
